Case 673/16: An EU (same-sex) love story
Gay spouses have the right to live anywhere in the EU, its top court just said, in a challenge to illiberal leaders in central Europe.
News in Brief
- Turkey blames EU for sexist protocol fiasco
- France to close elite civil-service academy
- Covid-19 cases in UK drop 60%, study finds
- White House urges 'calm' after Northern Ireland riots
- Italy's Draghi calls Turkey's Erdoğan a 'dictator'
- Slovakia told to return Sputnik V amid quality row
- EU risks €87bn in stranded fossil fuel assets
- Obligatory vaccination not against human rights, European court says
Opinion
The dangers of resurgent nationalism in Greece
Virulent nationalism in Greece has been stirred up in the context of austerity and renewed negotiations with Macedonia. Recent attempts by the government to address the inequalities suffered by LGBT persons have also been met with a reactionary backlash.
Gay rights under threat in divided Europe
From same-sex marriage in Malta to horrors in Azerbaijan - survey shows huge disparities on gay rights in Europe, amid "stagnating" progress and populist threats.
EU court bars tests for gay asylum seekers
Authorities in EU countries can no longer impose controversial psychological tests to determine whether an aslyum seeker is telling the truth about their homosexuality.
EU top lawyer says Romania must accept gay partners
Advocate general Melchior Wathelet of the European Court of Justice says the word 'spouse' in EU legislation is gender neutral.
LGBTI protection still lacking in EU
Despite some welcome advances, some legal rights for the LGBTI community are lacking in EU member states, and the rise of the populist right is making things worse, conference in Warsaw is told.
Fears for LGBTI staff at Brexit relocation agencies
Four countries that want to host the London-based EU agencies do not offer registered partnership for same-sex couples.
EU 'disturbed' by Azerbaijan's anti-gay raids
Baku confirms it arrested gay people and forced them to do medical tests, as EU seeks "clarifications" on events.
Handful of bids for EU agencies mention gay rights
Austria's bid to host the European Medicines Agency mentions Vienna's 'thriving and diverse LGBTIQ community', but its bid to host the banking agency does not.
Only five countries are helping gay Chechens leave Russia
EU leaders were vocal in their criticism of the anti-gay campaign that took place in the Russian republic of Chechnya earlier this year. But only a few countries are willing to offer a refuge to the victims.
Malta legalises same-sex marriage
Once regarded as conservative, the catholic island of 440,000 becomes the latest EU country to allow same sex couples to marry.
Political games behind Germany's gay marriage vote
Gay marriage was adopted in a snap vote at the German parliament on Friday. But lesbians and gays acquired this right after German chancellor Angela Merkel tried to sabotage the electoral campaigns of her opponents.
Analysis
Hard days ahead for Serbia's gay PM
The nomination of Brnabic as Serbia's first gay prime minister is linked to party politics and pinkwashing rather than civil rights.
Feature
Gay rights at heart of Poland's value conflict
Anti-gay statements are part of an anti-EU narrative propagated by Poland's ruling Law and Justice party. But only a few politicians from the opposition are willing to challenge the image of Poland as a homophobic country.
Stakeholder
LGBTI activists and businesses fighting inequality together
Multinational corporations can play an important role in creating a more inclusive society, through the workplace.
Gay, under-40 politican to rule Ireland
Leo Varadkar said his election as leader of the ruling part was an "unlikely story". He assured he would stick to the EU position in the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Digitalisation can help us pick up the green pace
- COVID19 is a wake-up call in the fight against antibiotic resistance
- The Nordic Region can and should play a leading role in Europe’s digital development
- Nordic Council to host EU webinars on energy, digitalisation and antibiotic resistance
- EU Code of Conduct can showcase PPPs delivering healthier more sustainable society
- Women benefit in the digitalised labour market
Latest News
- The Covid bell tolls for eastern Europe's populists
- Four deaths after taking Russian Sputnik V vaccine
- Post-Brexit riots flare up in Northern Ireland
- Advice on AstraZeneca varies across EU, amid blood clot fears
- Greenland election could see halt to rare-earth mining
- After 50 years, where do Roma rights stand now?
- Why Iran desperately wants a new nuclear deal
- Does new EU-ACP deal really 'decolonise' aid?
Lithuania helps gay Chechens flee Russia
Linas Linkevicius, foreign minister of Lithuania, said his country issued visas to two persecuted Chechens and that an international effort was underway to protect others.
Liberals denounce EU parliament's 'anti-gay' bill
Liberal MEPs say a parliamentary position on protecting children from immoral content on the Internet could be used to discriminate against gay people.
Most EU states drifted backward on gay rights
Intersex rights are the new boundary for toleration of sexual minorities in Europe, as EU institutions urged to show more "political courage" to stop hate.
Merkel and Putin fail to see eye-to-eye
German leader urged Putin to protect gay men in Chechnya, he said his police were better-behaved than some in Europe.
EP chief faces questions after homophobic 'summit'
Tajani was due to open a "summit" with anti-gay extremists in the EU parliament. He cancelled, but questions remain on why the event went ahead.
Malta to push for LGBTI rights in troubled times
Activists hope the EU presidency of Malta, a recent LGBTIQ champion, will help to put their rights higher on the EU agenda.
Commission 'shockingly passive' on Lithuania gay rights
MEPs express outrage after the EU Commission takes no action against Lithuania over an anti-propaganda law that discriminates against gay people.
Opinion
LGBT rights at stake in Georgia election
The Georgian Dream party says it is pro-EU, but its demonisation of LGBT people for the sake of a few votes is a retrograde move on Georgia's European path.
Interview
Panti Bliss: EU lessons from the gay rights movement
"Personal activism" is worth more than politicians' talk, but a “meek” EU will never win public support, an Irish gay rights campaigner tells EUobserver.
Interview
Hate speech costs lives, EU warns
Hate speech, whether homophobic or islamophobic, can prompt violent crime, justice commissioner Vera Jourova has warned in the wake of the Orlando and Jo Cox killings.
Opinion
Pride 2016: Let's not turn back time
EU politicians should attend gay Pride marches to stop illiberal forces in the EU from turning back the clock on basic civil liberties, such as the freedom to assembly.
What sort of civil society does Europe want?
Governments must be willing to hear critical voices; otherwise their desire to have an NGO sector is only lip service.
Italy changes EU gay rights map
Decision to allow same-sex unions deleted last zone of anti-gay intolerance in western Europe. Lack of adoption rights left "bitter taste".
Homosexuality still seen as a disease in parts of EU
Most hospital staff in Bulgaria and Romania think gay people are mentally ill. A transgender woman was refused surgery by every hospital in Slovakia, a new study shows.
EU to sponsor gay rights boat, upsetting Hungary
The EU commission is going to sponsor a boat in Amsterdam Gay Pride for the first time ever. But Hungary has said that type of thing undermines its sovereignty.
Limited breakthrough for Italian gay rights
The Senate approved a bill recognising same-sex unions, but political manoeuvres led prime minister Matteo Renzi to scrap the green light for gay adoption.
Stakeholders' Highlights
- Report: The prevalence of men who use internet forums characterised by misogyny
- Join the Nordic climate debate on 17 November!
- Making healthier diets the easy choice
- UN Secretary General to meet with Nordic Council on COVID-19
- Well-designed Deposit Return Schemes can help reach Single-Use Plastics Directive targets
